Sheila Jackson Lee

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, just a few months ago we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Apollo mission for NASA, and we are excited as a Nation to think of the brightness and the genius of our country. Tomorrow, before the Science and Technology Committee, the author of the ``Augustine Report'' will present his findings regarding NASA. As a representative from the Houston area, where the Johnson Space Center is, I encourage America to be that same genius. Let's continue manned space flight and continue our exploration in space, as well as our support for the international space station. Out of those efforts come new inventions, new cures for diseases, and new opportunities for the genius of America to be seen around the world. We must continue manned space flight. Supporting the space centers in Florida and Alabama, California, Mississippi and Texas, I know America can achieve for the future.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 6 to recognize the significant contribution coaches make in the life of children who participate in organized sports and to support the goals and ideals of National Coaches Appreciation Week. Our coaches deserve to be honored for the work they put forth in developing the young minds of tomorrows leaders. Coaches have long served as the backbone of youth sports, nurturing generations of minds, bodies and souls. H. Res. 6 applauds the ongoing effort of our coaches who put in extra time and effort to make the difference in the lives of our children; coaches are a vital part of organized youth sports. Their efforts welcome approximately 42 million American children to participate in organized sports each year. However, 20 million children here in the United States are unable to participate in organized sports, in part due to an insufficient number of coaches. A national effort to promote coaching is needed to increase the number of adults serving as coaches in organized sports. The Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports will educate Members of Congress, the Media, and the Public on the need to restore a child- centered focus in youth sports that will produce immeasurable positive benefits for the well-being and character development of children. Sports and coaches help children fight obesity, increase their self- esteem, learn leadership skills, and discover how to incorporate the values of sports into other aspects of their daily lives. Children need adults who will believe in them and leaders who give children the support they need to be a success. Coaches can positively impact the physical, emotional, and educational life of children. According to Paul Caccamo, President of Up2Us, a national coalition that seeks to increase the impact of and access to youth sports as a tool for positive youth development, ``Young people who play sports are higher achievers.'' He also said that ``They are more likely to attend college, land jobs with more responsibility and greater pay, and less apt to fall to drug and alcohol abuse. With dropout rates and gang activity on the rise in our urban cities, we cannot afford to stand by when we know there's an alternative. National Coach Appreciation Week recognizes the men and women who have dedicated their time to give our children better, brighter futures.'' Not only will National Coach Appreciation Week recognize the men and women who have dedicated their time to give our children better and brighter futures, it will put forth a great effort to recruit more adults to do this admirable work. As stated by the Up2Us coalition ``National Coach Appreciation Week would raise awareness and leverage resources to engage millions of children in organized sports that promote health, nutrition, and fitness, as well as other youth development outcomes.''

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, just a moment of good news that tells the American people that their government is working. I look forward to holding my job fair number two in Houston, Texas, where it has been voted that Houston has the highest unemployment rate of our State, the State of Texas, at the Georgia R. Brown Convention Center in conjunction with the City of Houston, where we will be hosting private employers, local government and State and Federal Government because the stimulus dollars are working and the American people want us to create jobs. Then we will have an opportunity to celebrate in my district the gospel music heritage legislation that myself and the Senator from Arkansas passed, Senator Blanche Lincoln, to commemorate America's great history in gospel music. We will be at the Grace Community Church on Friday, September 18, at 7:30. I say that because there is a reason to be joyful in America. It's a great country, and that is why I pause now for a serious moment to reflect on 9/11 and to offer, again, my deepest sympathy and concern for those families and victims and just to remind Americans that we will never forget. What brings me here today, to take all of that good news or all of that recognition that we are one country not divided by Republicanism or being a Democrat or an independent, but we are one family, loving our values and loving our democracy, makes me come today with a very saddened heart. For yesterday the President of the United States rose before this body and offered in the most poignant but kindest and firmest way an extended hand to work and to collaborate with Americans and those who represent Americans in this body. And I have had the privilege of hearing a number of Presidents speak to the Nation from this place. And let me say to you that when a President comes here, he is a guest of this body. It is not Republicans and Democrats, it is the United States Congress. For the President's cabinet is here, the Senate is here. In some instances, the Supreme Court is here. Members are here from all over the country. Our guests are here as well. And each time a President has come, whether or not I have an emotional opposition and a reasoned opposition to the position that they may be making, I hold their presence in reverence and respect. Last night my heart weighted with sadness, for as we spoke to the American people, adults, those of us who are elected, we found the highest level of disregard and disrespect. Not only was there a shout-out, albeit the First Amendment is protected, there is a reasonable response of those elected to high public office that when the President stands, not the President the Democrat, or the Republican, but the President of the United States, I can say this, because I denounced the throwing of a shoe at our President on foreign soil, of any kind. I denounced the seeming tolerance of President Bush having a shoe thrown at him. It is horrific and a disgrace. Just as I denounce holding up papers while the President is speaking. That happened last night. Just as I denounce having a sign in your lap, which we are not allowed to wear buttons expressing viewpoint. That happened last night. Just as I denounce words coming out calling the President a liar. It should be denounced by the leadership of my good friends on the other side. This is not an individual act. It should be denounced as inappropriate decorum in this place. And for those who wish to be equally rude by holding up something, let me suggest that it is a free country. And I do appreciate, sometimes we make mistakes, I admit to mistakes. We have to clarify those mistakes. But I believe it is important to clarify it so the President of the United States' ears can hear it and so this body can hear it. And I would hope my friends on the other side of the aisle, the leadership, will come to this well next week and acknowledge that this place should be a place of decorum. Yes, Members have turned their backs, some Members have walked out. That is their privilege. We do not have a despotic Nation, and they have the privilege to do so, if they disagree with the words being spoken by the President of the United States. But remember, he or she is our guest. And when you invite someone into your home, you treat them with the highest level of respect. I am not angry. I am simply saddened and disappointed, because so many of my friends on the other side of the aisle expressed their own disappointment, but somewhat in silence. It is important for the American people to know that whoever the President is, no matter where they come from, what background, what region, what State, they are the President of the United States. The President told the truth last night, and the other side must tell the truth about inappropriate behavior and the lack of reverence. We need to respect each other, and I call for that.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE

Ms. JACKSON-LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the H. Res. 722. The legacy of the events of September 11, 2001 still resonates today. We will never forget the harrowing experience of the loss of more than 3,000 lives that marked this national tragedy. We will never forget the events of that day, nor those who paid the ultimate price. We will forever remember how the country suffered profound sadness, the likes of which we as a nation hope to never experience again. Mr. Speaker, I recall vividly the intense emotions evoked as the attacks unfolded. The nation watched in horror as two airliners crashed into the Twin Towers and brought down the World Trade Center. That horror intensified as we witnessed an attack on the Pentagon, and a crashed airplane in Pennsylvania. Horror turned to anger as it came to light that the attacks were the actions of hate-filled cowards who had no respect for human life. I remember too, that in the aftermath of these senseless attacks, we came together as a nation and with friends from around the world united in grief and sadness. That moment transformed our country and the world, as the resolve of our nation strengthened and our principles hardened. We remember the heroes from that day; those who ran into the danger, sacrificing themselves to save strangers. They were the brave firefighters, police officers, and civil servants who died in the service of protecting others. We remember the heroes from United Flight 93 who overpowered the terrorists and gave their own lives to prevent the deaths of countless others. We hope that their families can take some small measure of comfort knowing that Americans have made a permanent place for those heroes in our hearts. In Houston, we mourned the loss of two of our own: Naval Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel Martin Caballero and Army Lieutenant Colonel Karen Wagner. Twenty-one year old Petty Officer Caballero was an electronics technician who had a bright life ahead of him. Forty-year- old Lt. Col. Wagner had a distinguished career as a medical personnel officer in the office of the Army surgeon general. Both lives were taken when United Flight 77 was steered into the Pentagon. Also Councilmember Toni Lawrence lost her dear sister to this horrible tragedy. Mr. Speaker, I ask that we also pay tribute today to those who have fought the wars born from September 11. In the years since that tragic day, our country has fought ardently to eliminate the enemies who would work to perpetuate the culture of fear and violence born from 9/11. The men and women of the U.S. military prove daily that their commitment to protecting and defending our country is steadfast. Let us remember those who fought and died while serving the country, let us honor those who continue to fight, and let us pledge our unending support for our soldiers and their families. As a Senior Member of the Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security Committees, I believe that we must continue to honor the fallen by working to prevent needless deaths. In the years since September 11, 2001, Congress has worked hard to make sure that such a tragedy will never happen again. In large part, we have taken heed of the advice of the 9/11 Commission and built a strong system to prevent future attacks. Mr. Speaker, I rise before this body to say that our work is not yet done. Our nation's rail and mass transit lines continue to be vulnerable. Millions of Americans rely on our rail and mass transit for transportation. Terrorist attacks in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2006 indicate that transportation routes continue to be potential security threats. We must not let another tragedy occur. As Chair of the Transportation Security Subcommittee--we are working to increase America's security. Preventing terrorism at home begins with addressing terrorism abroad. We must engage nations that are susceptible to the influence of extremists and arm them with the tools to fight radicalism. That means increasing education, improving living conditions, and increasing the capacity to govern. The struggle against terrorism will be won in the hearts and minds of people around the world. Mr. Speaker, I urge all members to join me in supporting H. Res. 722. Let us remember this day and the tragedy that befell the nation by properly honoring the victims with our renewed commitment to America's security and Democracy.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished gentleman from New York and the distinguished gentlelady from Florida. This is a duty that we do not relish, but that we obligate ourselves to be able to be reminded of the lost souls of September 11, 2001. It changed the innocence of America, but yet we stood tall as we mourned with these families from far and wide that we are America that believes in justice and civil liberties and, yes, the Bill of Rights. The Homeland Security effort was born during that time. I began to serve on the Select Committee and now the Homeland Security Committee. The work we do every day should be silent work, but it is work to ensure that the Nation's airlines and airports, train stations and railroads and mass transit and everywhere we go protects the American people. It is a world that stands up against terrorism, but understands that America can be a friend. So today, as we come together as a Congress, as we did those few years ago and stood on the front steps singing ``God bless America,'' I rise today to tell those families we will never forget them. And it is our obligation to be diligent, to be responsive, and to be remembered. God bless America.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, it is a delight to be back with my colleagues, but more importantly, it was enriching to be with my constituents at some 10 townhall meetings and at any number of personal appearances before organizations to talk about changing America's health care system for the better of all Americans. After 60 years, we now have an opportunity to address the question of the uninsured and to make sure that those who have insurance can keep it. I have read page 16. What it says is that your private insurance is grandfathered in and that, if your insurance in 5 years does not meet basic standards, we'll require your insurers to do so. There is nothing on page 16 that says anything about eliminating your insurance, but it does reform the insurance industry of America--no preexisting disease; preventative care. We can pay for it. The Congressional Budget Office said so. So today, Madam Speaker, I am here gladly to stand with the President and to join him in the question: What will you do? It's time to move on health care reform with a vigorous public option.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we've had a long session of hard work, and I believe this is an appropriate ending to be able to honor some of America's culture. And so I rise today to acknowledge the passing of H.J. Res. 12, to designate September 2009 as Gospel Music Heritage Month and honor the gospel music for its valuable and longstanding contributions to the culture of the United States. I thank the majority leader and the Republican leadership. I thank the chairman of the committee, Chairman Towns, and Ranking Member Issa of Government Oversight, all of those who have worked, along with my 16 cosponsors who recognize the value of the songs sung by the likes of Mahalia Jackson singing Precious Lord; Yolanda Adams, The Battle is the Lord's; Sandi Patty; and the work that Elvis Presley did when he sang his gospel songs; Israel, out of Lakewood Church; Kurt Carr with This Little Light of Mine; Donnie McClurkin, Just Stand; and Rev. Gregg Patrick, who is both a producer and a singer. We have a wide vastness of musical talent in this Nation. I'm glad we're celebrating gospel music.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I thank my good friend from Oregon for giving such a detailed presentation of the enormity of the work that we have generated in collaboration with this administration and what ``change'' actually means. Sometimes the television news bites and other activities that, by the very nature of our Nation, which is so diverse, may draw upon our thinking, we don't get to the bottom line of the kinds of opportunities that we've seen over the past 8 months, 7 months, of hard work from the time that President Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States and Congress was sworn in for the 111th Congress. Our work is not yet finished. And we want to continue that work in dialogue with our constituents. So I wanted to speak today some with a little lightheartedness and some with enormous sincerity and seriousness. I want to acknowledge the passing of the mother of the mayor of Acres Home, Willie Baker in my congressional district. I offer them my deepest sympathy. I rose to the floor yesterday to acknowledge the passing of Vermel Cook. A pioneering surgical nurse who worked with Dr. Michael E. Debakey and Dr. Michael Cooley. These are issues that members address as Federal Representatives in the people's House. So to those families, the Cook and Baker families, I offer my deepest sympathy. It seems then relevant to suggest that in addition to the many issues that we confront, I had the privilege of joining the Senate in having passed today by unanimous consent H.J. Res. 12, which, for many of my colleagues, 61 of them who cosponsored, many of them recognized the cultural richness of America, particularly in music which I happen to be a fan of and I believe it's so much a part of the American character whether it's country western or whether it's jazz, whether it's pop or whether it is gospel. So H.J. Res. 12 acknowledged today along with the United States Senate that we would designate September 2009 as Gospel Music Heritage Month and it would honor the gospel music for its valuable and longstanding contributions to the culture of the United States. I hope that those who are members of various faiths throughout this Nation will take the time during their religious services to celebrate gospel musicians, gospel singers, gospel producers, gospel writers, and their own church choir or their place of faith's church choir, wherever they are practicing their faith. If there is a choir and it draws the kind of celebratory respect for their faith, I hope they will celebrate it. So I am very pleased to have done this for a second time and to recognize the importance of the many artists and the many different influences, including country western music on gospel music. To recognize Thomas Dorsey, and Mahalia Jackson, the Stamps Quartet, the Statesmen, The Soul Stirrers, James Cleveland, Ray Hearn, Rex Humbard, the Mighty Clouds of Joy, Kirk Franklin, the late Brenda Waters and Carl Preacher and Shirley Joiner, The Winans, and Kathy Taylor, and so many others. And then those who went on from gospel like Al Green and Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton that had a gospel influence. So in this place that is the people's House, we likewise attempt to be sensitive to items of joy, and I'm very proud that we will have an event in September, on September 12, at the Kennedy Center honoring gospel music heritage, and I hope my friends will do so. But as we do that, we recognize that there are painful experiences so many of our constituents are having. So I rise today to thank my colleagues for joining me in sponsoring H.R. 3450. That is the Automobile Dealers Fair Competition Act of 2009. We expect that because of the bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler that we are in direct line of losing some 200,000 jobs--I believe some 40,000, some 10,000 in the State of Texas--from the closing of automobile dealerships. Not only that, we realize that automobile dealerships, many of them, were the anchors of our community, the supporters of little leagues. Some of them, of course, gave us the best deals of our life. Maybe some of them didn't give you the best deal or the deal you wanted, but they are your neighbors. Dealerships in the 18th Congressional District hire people. They're like family. They provide cars for our law enforcement, our city government. They make a difference. And by the closing, we know that they're closing small businesses. According to estimates, all termination actions combined could lead, as I said, to the loss of 200,000 direct jobs and many, many productive small businesses will be destroyed. We also know that this termination has been in contrast to the contractual relationship called a franchise that the different dealerships had with GM and Chrysler. So what does H.R. 3450 do? The bill deals with automobile dealers by giving them, if you will, the ability to have antitrust protection. They can now have the right to protect themselves by asking the question, Is the closing of automobile dealerships anti-competitive? So in this bill, the bill will provide enforcement teeth to this right by giving dealers in an expedited court process to enforce the restraint of trade rights. The bill is, in essence, giving them the right to protect themselves by going to court. This would deem decisions by auto manufacturers, specifically the Automobile Dealers Fair Competition Act of 2009, would deem decisions by auto manufacturers not to grant franchise extensions to old GM and Chrysler dealers provided they can demonstrate that they are still operating as a viable operation, that they can provide or they can show that that is an illegal restraint of trade. In addition, the bill will provide enforcement teeth to this ride by giving dealers an expedited court process to enforce the restraint of trade rights. If new GM or Chrysler doesn't grant a replacement franchise to a growing concern within 90 days, the dealer can petition to Federal court, district court and ask the court to refer the case to a special master who will be required to hear the case and make a ruling within 90 days. We don't want these dealerships to be closed, particularly those that are viable and are working in our community, as many have been, who have provided an economic engine to the community. It is our belief that there is empirical evidence and quantitative analysis that can be done to determine the impact of GM's mass dealer terminations to GM's market share. If you close dealerships and you leave open Honda and Toyota and Lexus and other foreign-made car dealerships, are you impacting the competitive nature of our manufacturers and car dealers by giving them a noncompetitive edge because you have shut down competitive dealerships trying to sell American cars and you're leaving the other guys--which we welcome here in the United States; we're open to opportunity--but you let the foreign-made cars have the higher number of dealerships and therefore you deny jobs, you deny the manufacturers a forum for selling their cars. It's just not right. So I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3450 to provide for the Automobile Dealers Fair Competition Act of 2009. It is H.R. 3450. We're delighted to already have a number of sponsors. It is bipartisan. We believe it can be another legislative initiative, and I am on many, to protect and provide for automobile dealers and say to the car manufacturers, our good friends in GM and Chrysler, we care about the suppliers, the car dealerships, and all of the workers that may now look to unemployment because those dealerships are closing. Those are good, good-paying jobs, and we want them back. So, Mr. Speaker, I'm hoping that my colleagues, as they return from the August break working in their districts, will look at H.R. 3450 so we can likewise move that forward as quickly as possible. Now, Mr. Speaker, I would like to emphasize the importance of good health care: health care for all America, health care with a public option. And for some reason, we think that this is something strange, but every single policy that has asked the question, Would you favor or oppose creating a public health insurance option to compete with private health insurance, not closing down private health insurance, you can see the increasing strong numbers: 65 percent, 83 percent, 76 percent and 72 percent. One of the highest, I believe, indicated that this would not close anyone's private health insurance. In fact, it said: public plan option creating a new public health insurance plan that anyone can purchase. Some of the other polls say: ensuring that you can continue in your own choice. And so I'm very proud that I support the public health insurance option that allows people to have insurance to stay where they are, but it allows all the small businesses to be able to provide themselves with insurance so they can do their business right. What about leaving a job, getting fired and wanting to be a sole proprietor? You won't have to worry about being covered with good quality health insurance. Preexisting disease, you won't have to be worried about being covered by good health insurance. The idea that you're not old enough for Medicare, you won't have to worry about good public insurance. Let me give you an example--and this is happening in districts around America. In the 18th Congressional District, for example, up to 14,600 small businesses could receive tax credits to provide coverage to their employees; 5,300 seniors would avoid the doughnut hole in Medicare part D, 480 families would escape bankruptcy each year due to unaffordable health care costs; health care providers would receive payment for $49 million in uncompensated care each year. Ask your hospitals. They do not get reimbursed when they are the Good Samaritans and take people into their emergency rooms or take people who are sick. Once they're in the emergency room, they admit them. Uncompensated care in my district alone will get $49 million and 184,000 uninsured individuals would gain access to high-quality health care. How can we beat this? Help the small business, individuals who have ideas, want to get out and show their entrepreneurship, want to be a sole proprietor. Maybe they have two employees or 10 employees. You will get a public option. Don't let those scare tactics of you lose your insurance or it will accelerate beyond belief, because we have cost control in this bill. In addition, don't let anyone misdirect their anguish at physician- owned hospitals. They are valuable. Do you realize that doctors come together and save hospitals from closing? They do that in Texas with Saint Joseph's Hospital. They want to do that in my district with ATH Heights Hospital. Some of my colleagues have told me about rural hospitals that are closing but doctors who care about the Hippocratic oath believe that they're there to be caregivers, and they run and they provide the saving grace by putting money into investing in those hospitals and saving them and keeping them from closing. They, too, should be allowed to take in patients under this health care reform. And I'm fighting to make sure that that happens because they're not double-dipping. We want the quality to be high. We want to regulate it. But anyone that knows a doctor that has interest in a hospital by way of ownership, small amount kept regulated, you know that that hospital, if it's a general acute hospital, can give good care, if it's a specialty hospital, can give good care. And so I am looking forward to the opportunity to again begin this debate because I believe it is important. Mr. Speaker, I also want to acknowledge the critics that say that the stimulus package has not worked. Well, I will tell you that Houston Metro in Houston, Texas, as a new start transportation system, is going to be eligible for stimulus dollars as we move forward. I only use the 18th Congressional District because it is right at my fingertips. But there are jobs being created. Just alone in my district, housing and urban development, we've had $13.6 million in stimulus dollars; education, $42.5 million in stimulus dollars. And we want to continue to raise a question for our Governor to take out the $3.2 billion that is in the Rainy Day Fund in the State of Texas and utilize those stimulus dollars to put teachers back to work. We were able to ensure that every teacher in Texas will get an $800 salary increase the day they start work when the new school year starts. Those are stimulus dollars that came through the working of the Democratic Congressional delegation of the State of Texas, $800 increase in their salary. $22 million in Social Security, and Small Business Administration, $8.5 million. That means in loans to our small businesses that are receiving monies from this important generating of jobs. And so we have been able to fix our courthouse with $807,000. We have been able to fix our Federal building with $109 billion. We have been able to work, if you will, with the Catholic Charities emergency food and shelter, $24,000. We have been able to reach the Community of the Streets Outreach with $25,000. We have been working with new Kid Care emergency food and shelter. They have received dollars. Northwest Assistance Ministries has received dollars. This is one district, but multiply it for the needs across your community. We have been able to keep nonprofit workers to help those people who have been unemployed. I think that is a far cry. Cleme Manor Apartments, new construction, substantial rehabilitation. Garden City Apartments, new construction, substantial rehabilitation. Mr. Speaker, we are putting people to work. They are working on the construction and rehab of those apartments where individuals live. They are giving individuals a cleaner, safer, better quality of life by improving their apartments. What I would ask my colleagues to do and those who may be listening, go to your local city halls. It's public knowledge. Ask them to print out for you a list of the stimulus dollars that have already come. More are going to come. Those will be grant dollars. It means that any of the nonprofits in your States or cities or counties can apply for dollars that will put people to work. Right now, we have the ability to utilize some $700 million in what we call ``green'' jobs. Of course, you can't see it overnight. You couldn't see it in March. You couldn't see it possibly in February. Maybe you didn't see it in April or May because, yes, processing is important, documenting your dollars, where are your tax dollars going, making sure we have the right report is correct. In Houston, I am very proud to have worked on the stimulus dollar legislation providing language to ensure that minority- and women-owned and small businesses would be recipients of those dollars in the appropriate manner so that we don't leave out small businesses who would have the ability to legitimately be receiving stimulus dollars through a government process and work that they would be doing. And construction dollars for all of the construction workers out there. Rehabilitation is a right way to work. I'm glad that the Houston Heights Tower received some $95,000--those are where a lot of my senior citizens live--for new construction and rehabilitation. I remember going to the Heights Tower during Hurricane Ike. And so it is important to refute some of the negative commentary that the stimulus dollars don't work. They do. Settegast Heights, again, $877,000 have gone to my city of Houston in the 18th Congressional District alone; new construction, substantial rehabilitation. People will have a better quality of life. Wesley Square Apartments, $508,000, new construction, substantial rehabilitation. Some of the homeless persons who have come upon hard times, many of them homeless veterans, will be able to have a better quality of life because stimulus dollars were utilized. So, Mr. Speaker, I believe that we have come to the end of a portion of the 111th Congress, and I am very proud that we passed an SCHIP bill that enrolled more children in health care, that we increased the minimum wage, that we provided for parity for women in working, that their income or their salary is competitive with men, that, as well, we have begun to stand down in Iraq. And our Defense Appropriation bill speaks to helping move the defense of Iraq to the Iraqi National Forces. I offer my deepest sadness and reflection on those lives that have been lost, our soldiers on the front line, those that are now being lost in Afghanistan, and we will work hard to stand down there to ensure that the country of Afghanistan can stand up. But we've been working hard to ensure that that happens. I've been working hard to help the people of Pakistan. We passed a Pakistan relief bill, in essence, out of Foreign Affairs so that they can stand up, so they can help with social programs, they can help economically, that we can help those who are in the camps because of the violence that was perpetrated, that we can show the respect for the soldiers in Afghanistan, their own soldiers in Afghanistan, Afghanis and the Pakistanis, who have lost soldiers themselves fighting terrorism. We passed H.R. 2200, the bill I authored, helping to secure transportation--airports, trains, busses--to emphasize more training for flight attendants, to provide more resources for the Transportation Security Administration, to ensure that America is safe. And so this House has been busy. And as we go home to our districts, we will not run away from the idea of good health plans. Because, my friends, I don't know what my friends on the other side of the aisle have, a bunch of question marks about the health plan that my friends on the other side of the aisle have offered. I want them to join us. I can articulate what we have done. I realize that we've made great strides. I know that the people want, if you will, good health care. And so as I close, I want to thank the Speaker. And I just want to leave you with this forceful message: We're going to get the job done. We're going to get health care for all Americans, and the stimulus is going to work for you. And celebrate Gospel Music Heritage Month in September as we help our automobile dealers return to their jobs and to retain their jobs. You know we've been working.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support my bill, H.J. Res. 12, that will designate September 2009 as Gospel Music Heritage Month and honor gospel music for its valuable and longstanding contributions to the culture of the United States. Gospel music is an American art form that has spanned hundreds of generations and its musical roots can be heard throughout many musical genres that we love today. It is important that we recognize and celebrate the vital role gospel music has had on music history. For this reason, I ask that you join me in supporting my resolution expressing support for designating September 2009 as ``Gospel Music Heritage Month,'' honoring gospel music for its valuable long-standing contributions to American culture. I would also like to thank the 6 co-sponsors who have seen fit to honor our gospel music heritage. The history of gospel music can be traced back to African American spirituals that blended diverse elements from African music, melodic influences from Irish folk songs and hymns, and ultimately borrowed from other uniquely American musical styles including ragtime, jazz, and blues. The influence of gospel music can be found infused in all forms of secular music, from rock & roll, country, soul, R&B, and countless other styles. The legacy of gospel music includes some of the most memorable voices and pioneers in American history, such as Thomas Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, James Vaughan, Roberta Martin, and many more. Gospel music has laid down the musical foundation for legendary recording artists such as Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Buddy Holly, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, and Randy Travis. Gospel music has had an overwhelming influence on American culture and this bill recognizes gospel music's contributions by celebrating the rich heritage of gospel music and its artists in the month of September, 2009. I urge my colleagues to support this bill as we move it to the floor for a vote. The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3269, the ``Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act of 2009''. I would like to thank my colleague Representative Barney Frank for introducing this resolution, as well as the cosponsors. I stand in support of this important resolution, because it is designed to address the perverse incentives in compensation plans that encourage executives in large financial firms to take excessive risk at the expense of their companies, shareholders, employees, and ultimately the American taxpayer--risks that contributed to the recent financial collapse. One of the solutions it offers is practically the manifestation of common sense itself--let the stockholders of the company, the people the corporate executives are supposed to be working for, have a say in how those executives should be compensated. For example, the bill requires shareholder non-binding votes on so-called ``golden parachutes.'' It requires publicly-traded corporations to allow shareholders to take non-binding votes during annual meetings on the top five executive compensation packages. And it allows SEC to exempt small companies from the nonbinding vote requirement if it finds such an exemption necessary. The bill also seeks to change the incentives for the sort of financial firms that brought our economy to the brink of collapse, so that those who manage the money of our countrymen are not even tempted to take us back to that precipice. The bill authorizes the SEC, along with the federal financial regulatory agencies, to develop regulations for financial firms with at least $1 billion in assets that proscribe the use of employee compensation structures that pose a risk to financial institutions and the broader economy. It also specifically, authorizes the regulations to restrict or prohibit ``inappropriate or imprudently risky compensation practices'' at these large financial firms, and further requires financial firms with at least $1 billion in assets to disclose to the federal regulators any compensation structures that include incentive-based elements. The bill does not require disclosure of any individuals' compensation information; nor does it allow government pre-approval of anyone's compensation. Rather, the bill is the first step towards enacting comprehensive financial regulatory reform to make sure we never face another historic financial crisis that depletes the retirement savings of millions, locks businesses out of much-needed credit, and threatens the entire economy. Finally, the bill requires the compensation committees of the Boards of Directors of public companies to be made up of independent directors. It further requires that these compensation consultants satisfy independence criteria established by the SEC. I would also point out that this bill will, in practice, only apply to companies already sufficiently large enough--it specifically allows the SEC to exempt small companies from the non binding vote requirement if it finds such an exemption necessary. Not only is this bill common sense personified, it is also long overdue. Corporate culture has, in the past three decades, undergone a transformation for the worse, where the most economically powerful have come to see, not just stockholder profit, but short term profit, as the greatest good. Today, the people with most economic influence see little or no incentive in seeking anything but the next bonus. It was not always so--from the end of World War II until the mid 1990s, prominent public and private company CEOs almost universally viewed their responsibilities as being equally split among shareholders, employees, customers, and the Nation. This broad sense of corporate responsibility was actually so widely and comfortably held that in 1981, the Business Roundtable, which is the key public policy arm of the Nation's largest public companies and their CEOs, officially endorsed a policy that said that shareholder returns had to be balanced against other considerations. However, just as the Business Roundtable was making its policy statement, the deregulation and laissez-faire era that was born in the Reagan administration was starting to chip away at the statement's core contention. And by 2004--even after many of the myriad scandals and outright thefts that have hallmarked the last decade of American business had already come to light--the Roundtable amended its position. It said that the job of business is only to maximize the wealth of shareholders. But even that statement did not, in any meaningful way, restrict or amend their pursuit of personal wealth, as board members effectively wrote their own paycheck. So not only were our corporate leaders explicitly no longer concerned with stakeholders other than those with the bottom line, they saw little concern for the long term well being of their company. A well-connected man could just as easily make sure the short term profits were inflated as much as possible, so it would look like he was doing a good job, and jump off when the bonuses get handed out. We see this behavior, for example, among the companies Americans entrust their health care with. In 2001, Aetna's CEO made $3.5 million; 7 years later, it increased nearly seven-fold, to $24.3 million, making over $100 million in the past 9 years. In 2000, Coventry paid its Chief Executive $2.2 million; apparently that wasn't enough; because in 2007 they gave him nearly $15 million. In the past 9 years, ten individuals--people who are in charge of companies, whose source of profit is the denial of care to the people who take large cuts in their paychecks to give them money--made over $690 million. In 2007, several high profile corporate executives resigned and received multimillion dollar financial packages. That year, Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli resigned and received a severance package worth $210 million, which followed several other ``golden parachutes,'' including the $122 million retirement package for Pfizer's former CEO, the $175 million package for KB Homes' former CEO, who retired after he was found to have manipulated the company's stock, and the $85 million severance package for Viacom's CEO who was on the job for less than a year. That was the year our noble body tried to act. The House passed a bill that would have required publicly traded corporations, beginning this year, to allow shareholders to take a non binding vote on executive compensation and golden parachutes. Our colleagues in the Senate, however, never acted on the measure. And, as everybody sitting in this noble body knows, the outrage has only grown. In 2008, one man--the head of a financial firm--made over $700 million. Another CEO, of the Oracle Company, made over half a billion dollars that same year. Six energy companies paid their CEOs nearly $800 billion. All told, in 2008, less than 10 individuals made over $2 billion, over 1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product of my home city of Houston. During the worst days of the financial crisis, a raw nerve was struck when workers generally became aware, many for the first time, of the huge salaries being earned on Wall Street and on other streets far removed from Main Street. Wherever earned, excessive executive and CEO compensation, simply by being ``excessive,'' belies the principles of a meritocracy, which is what corporations should be. Managers rise to something akin to royalty when their compensation is at unjustified levels and when the rewards of employment are not more commonly and fairly shared with the general employee base. To conclude: This regulatory overhaul is urgently needed to avoid the possibility of a repeat of the recent financial disaster which nearly crippled our economy. It does so through common sense measures to curb executive power to write their own checks, and dis-incentivizes them from taking the mad risks that nearly brought us to ruin. It is long overdue, and becomes only more necessary as time passes. And so I support the bill.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute a woman of success and pay tribute to Vermel Cook, 95 years old, who passed just this last week, born on November 24, 1913, a woman that has a very special place in my heart, and that of the city of Houston. Mr. Speaker, can you imagine a woman born before the conclusion of World War I, in the midst of a segregated South, who became an important surgical nurse who attended to the surgeries of the famed surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBakey, and Dr. Denton Cooley, at the Methodist Hospital. What an achievement. And she did that for 30 years. In her 30 years I would imagine she saw some of the first heart transplants. She saw the first opportunities to give new life to patients through the genius of Dr. Michael DeBakey, already passed, and Dr. Denton Cooley, who still lives in our community. I'm very proud that this woman raised beautiful children, 6 children. She has 8 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren. And one of her wonderful children was a dear friend of mine, the Mitchell family. Her granddaughter, Pam Mitchell, who is saddened by her death, is one of the 8 grandchildren. And her wonderful daughter, surviving daughter, JoAnn Griggs, as well, had the opportunity to live with a great mother and a great father. Her husband, deceased, Leroy Cook, they were married for 50 years and produced great talent for the Mitchell family. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell and granddaughter Pam and grandson, her young grandson, traveled around the community and provided great music. She was a woman of religion as well, a member of the Progressive New Hope Church under the Reverend Ennis Brown, and she served at that church for many, many years, a great historic church in the city of Houston. But then as Pastor Brown passed away, she moved to one of the up-and-coming starring churches under the leadership of my dear friend, Pastor Samuel Ratliff, Brentwood Baptist Church. And I am reminded of my visits to that church when Pastor Ratliff and all of the leadership of that church always rallied around Sister Cook. They always were so grateful of her presence there, and, as well, the spark and the laughter and the smile that she brought to the congregation. I will always remember her, generous in spirit and heart, a nurturer. And now I know why. A surgical nurse in the midst of a segregated America, living through World War I and World War II, standing at the side of the founder of the veterans hospital system of America, Dr. Michael DeBakey. And then his tutee, Dr. Denton Cooley, two giants in the field of medicine. Now their fallen hero goes alongside of Dr. DeBakey, my very dear friend, Sister Vermel Cook. As she is buried this coming weekend I would ask that we remember her challenges, but also her spirit. I will always be proud to have known her and to have recognized the greatness of her service and how she pioneered for nurses who now have come behind her. She'll be funeralized on Saturday, this coming Saturday, August 1, 2009, at the Brentwood Baptist Church. Though we are saddened by her passing, we know that this will be a commemoration, a celebration of the pioneering spirit and the successes that she had. We pay tribute to Vermel Cook; yes, fallen, but yet successful, a woman that we can be very proud of in this great Nation that gives us opportunity. God bless you, Vermel Cook, and God bless America.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the 75th anniversary of my hometown airline, Continental Airlines. I would like to thank all of the employees, past and present and those in the future, who have continued to serve our community and the Nation. We thank them for their original beginnings with great history and great leadership. I'm reminded of one of their transfer names, Eastern Airlines. I'm reminded, of course, of the uniforms and the admiration that children would give the pilots and flight attendants. We still do that today. Continental Airlines is in my district, and as well the Bush Intercontinental Airport, which is their hub airport. Let me thank them for the many economic dollars they provide to the fourth largest city in the Nation, Houston, Texas, and as well let me congratulate them as they move forward in a new structure that will allow more diversity, more competition, but stronger airline services and customer relations. Thank you to the leadership of Continental Airlines and to their CEO, Larry Kellner, and all of the hardworking employees. You've had 75 years. You should be proud.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, let me tell you very clearly: Medicare in 1965 saved lives. Can you believe it has been six decades, 60 years, since we have been able to come together around the common goal of getting a public option with health care reform? Now six decades later, America has debated this broken system, but we're closer than we've ever been before, and the American people understand 83 percent, high numbers. They want a public health insurance option. They get it. Premiums have doubled over 9 years. You ask yourself the question, Can I afford to pay $1,800 a year more every year for a family of four? Health care reform will keep Americans from financial ruin. Go to the bankruptcy courts. Catastrophic illnesses have shoved Americans into these courts. They've lost all that they have. We have to stop it now. We want to leave doctors in charge of their patients and not the insurance companies, whose main opportunity is to say, N-O, no. The American people get it. The public health insurance option, that is what we're doing; and we're doing it now.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I enjoyed having the opportunity to be here with Congresswoman Watson from California. I know that she has been steady on these issues, and I think it is extremely important that we do work together. One of the points I think we will have an opportunity to engage in discussions on as we continue to make our way through the putting together of this bill is to ensure that we each have an opportunity to reflect on some of the concerns that can help make the bill better. Here are some of the issues that I think will help make the bill better. I am interested in grants to high schools and middle schools that would increase health care professionals, particularly those in underserved communities. I mentioned a week or so ago that I was visiting in New York and met a nurse who started the program through his hospital where he would go to middle schools and high schools and allow the children to dress up in scrubs and participate in mock operating sessions or operating rooms. What a difference it makes. It is almost like our children would dress up as firefighters or police officers. That would incentivize the children to think of the medical profession as something they are interested in. I am looking at hopefully submitting a proposal for that. Next, an amendment that will address the question of providing incentives for the development of community health care centers that are housed in healthy green buildings, because we will be seeing a large amount of money going out to increase the number of community health centers, qualified Federal community health centers. I think they are excellent sources of health care. Why not incentivize them to make sure they are put in green buildings that are free of various toxins that would probably undermine the good health that people are coming there for. Tax credits for employers who not only provide good health care benefits, but encourage their employees to utilize these benefits. So education, outreach, making sure that employees have information about accessing their health care. A pilot program to study and demonstrate the benefits of proven alternative medical techniques and medicines. These are simply to look at holistic ways of being healthy as well as making sure people have access to the information. A program to study this ongoing problem of people who seek to overutilize prescription drugs. That is, to work with doctors, nurses, clinics, hospitals and other health professionals to educate us about the issue of using prescription drugs. So I am hoping as we make our way through and as we continue to work with the Congressional Black Caucus on these very important issues of a public option, of ending health disparities, of ensuring that we have universal health care, as Americans seemingly have come together to rally around, I believe we will have a better product by listening to the Members who have some constructive thoughts and proposals that don't undermine the basic structure of the bill; not undermining the public health option. Not taking away large sums of resources so that we cannot in the right way give quality plans, but various small proposals that would enhance the bill is the way I think we should go, and keep the basic structure of what we are all committed to, the public option and complete health care reform that will help the American people.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Let me thank the gentlelady from Ohio. And I appreciate her anchoring this Special Order in order to pursue a very important discussion on the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Health Task Force, along with the work of so many of our Members who are on the jurisdictional committees, and also, as I indicated earlier, the importance of the CBC Health Task Force, of which I have served on for a number of years. I, too, want to add my appreciation to that task force, to the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and as well the chairperson of the Health Care Task Force and Health Reform Task Force, Dr. Donna Christensen, who was just on the floor, thanking her for leading us through the years. I have worked with her through the years as we were able to get the CHIPs program and a number of other steps toward complete health care reform, and I am glad to have been able to do so. I have an idea, and we have entered into some discussions, to add to the TriCaucus, which includes the Hispanic Caucus and the Asian Pacific Caucus, the Progressive Caucus, for which I serve as the vice Chair. I am also part of the Progressive Caucus negotiating team on health care reform, and we have done that. We have found that we have had now maybe a quadruple caucus that has overlapping issues equaling more than 100- plus Members, maybe upwards of 200 Members who have a common goal dealing with health disparities as well as dealing with the question of public option. So I would like to, just for a moment, Congresswoman Fudge, go through some of the important issues. I think we should reestablish the fact that there are 47 million uninsured Americans. Many people want to break that down. There are people who don't want insurance. There are others who have other problems. Why don't we just say that we have 47 million uninsured who have not been given any other option, so they are uninsured? And who knows, if they were presented a plan that addressed their needs within a reasonable cost, small businesses included, which of course hire or are, in fact, the employers, small businesses, of upwards of 50 million-plus individuals--I think the number is larger than that. If we gave small businesses, if we gave the uninsured--because many of the people are working, they are in small businesses, they are uninsured; not because they don't want that opportunity, but because they have invested every single cent that they have in that small business, and many of the small businesses are sole proprietors. I believe the work that the Congressional Black Caucus and this quadruple caucus conglomeration, along with our caucus, really is emphasizing how we expand these various aspects of ensuring that Americans get insurance. Now, you could point to the fact that maybe one poll would not be accurate, maybe two polls, but we have four polls here that say that people want a public health insurance option. And the interesting thing is, as this is a very strong element of the Congressional Black Caucus, is that the public option has three elements to it: It has the basic plan, the premium plan, and the premium plus. It means that this is not a second-class plan. And I think most Americans realize--the highest number is the NBC WSI poll, 76 percent; CBS poll, 72 percent. The EBRI poll, which speaks about the public option having 83 percent of the support of the American people because they know that we are not constructing a second-class plan. We are constructing a plan that will give the option for so many different people to be engaged. In addition, one of the emphases that we have had is this question of reducing health disparities. This is enormously important. And included in that, we have the Secretary of HHS is required to conduct a study that examines the extent to which Medicare providers utilize or make available information on various aspects of disparities, which I think is very important. This legislation also provides for promoting primary care, mental health services, and coordinated care, key elements. We all know that we passed the mental health disparities bill. This keeps that in place, but it also has provisions to promote and support the increased primary care physicians, which means that we are trying to get people to the doctor before they are, in essence, ready to be admitted to a hospital. This is a very important aspect of preventative care. You come for a checkup, not come to be admitted to the hospital. And this is an element of that. And one of the disappointments I had is that the Congressional Budget Office, which is only language that people inside the beltway understand, called the CBO--in headlines across America you hear the term ``CBO''--has not given us a real figure for how much money we will save by upping the amount of preventative care. And I think that is key and something that the members of the TriCaucus, and now with the addition of the Progressive Caucus, have in fact supported emphasizing. I want to go to the question of this economy. We inherited this economy, and I think it's important to own up to the facts. Some people may argue that this administration has been overly busy, has done a mountain of legislative initiatives. What more are they going to do? Well, the facts are that our economy was crumbling when this President took office. The bailout structure was already in place. The TARP moneys were already in place. The automobile industry was already collapsing. And we simply had to come in as the Red Cross, as the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts and try to make our camp better than we found it. That's what we are doing here today. And part of the work that is being done by this number of caucuses, including the Congressional Black Caucus, with the emphasis on preventative care and the public option will do this: the program will ensure early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment; case management for chronic diseases; dental and mental health services; and even language access services. So we are getting ahead of the problem. We are diagnosing what the problem is. These percentages show that the American people understand where we are trying to go. And I just want to add this, as I talk about the President and his whole concern on this question of the economy, to make mention of the fact that the economy generates unemployment. In my district I hosted this past Saturday a Federal job fair because I believe that since we know that there are about 600,000 Federal jobs, we need to break outside the beltway and get out in America and tell Americans what options there are for public service first and, two, to work for the United States Government. We had an organized effort, a very open facility that had free parking. But we were expecting about a thousand to come. Over 3,000 Houstonians came in the heat of the day to be able to access U.S. Federal jobs. I would guesstimate that the large percentage of those who came do not have health care. And that's why we are here on the floor today. Unemployment equals not having health care for yourself or for your family. Many of those were long-term workers, some of those were recent graduates, and some of those were people who had been chronically unemployed for a period of time through no fault of their own. But they came because they want to work, but they have no health insurance. What we are doing now is on the basis of responding to that need. And let me tell you a component of this health reform that I believe we need to work a little harder on, and that is to recognize the value of what we call physician-owned hospitals. In a recent meeting, a Member got up and explained in the far reaches of New England how physician-owned hospitals are crucial in instances where there are no hospitals for miles and miles around and particularly where there is no other competition. As we stand today, physician-owned hospitals under the current health reform bill, 104 physician-owned hospitals underdeveloped, 42 of which are scheduled to come online by the 2010, would have to be shut down. We have a simple fix. It's to change the date which these hospitals will be grandfathered in to the date of enactment of this bill. And what that would mean is that you would keep 104 hospitals which are at risk right now, 20,000 new jobs would be lost in 21 States and over 40 hospitals in my own home State as well. At least $5 billion in current investments will be lost. It will also affect hospitals that were built to serve working men and women with little or no insurance. This is not a partisan issue. This is about providing more care through the physician-owned hospitals. And as well, it would highlight the work that physicians do to maintain health care, because if they are invested, they are obviously concerned about their work product. As an example, I just want to cite St. Joseph Medical Center. In August 2006, over 80 medical staff members out of 500 elected to purchase a stake in the hospital to keep it from closing. Because of this partnership, St. Joseph Medical Center remains today as a viable institution caring for hundreds of thousands of patients each year through the various services of this general acute care inner-city hospital with an emergency room, the only downtown hospital with 4 million workers in that surrounding area. Nearly 5,000 new Houstonians are born annually at this hospital, the first maternity hospital in Houston. So as we look to ensure that we have value in our health care reform, I believe that we are going in the right direction. I believe we should do this now. But as we do so, let us not leave out institutions that have been very helpful in the past and let us look to our physicians who have both the management aspect of a hospital and really the caring part of it, the nurturing, the medical aspect of it, what a wonderful partnership, and not close those hospitals in 21 States because we have an arbitrary date of January 1, 2009. It is, of course, something I think can be resolved just as I believe that we can resolve the issue dealing with home health care. More and more of us of all economic levels are finding it more fiscally responsible to have our care at home. Whether you are ethnic, African Americans, Hispanics, or Asian, or whether you are in the majority, these are resources that can provide the kind of comfort of care at home. Let us not undermine the home health care. Let us make it more fiscally responsible. Let us make it more efficient. But let us not undermine it. Let me conclude my remarks by making sure we emphasize, as I move this chart, that people want a public health insurance option. Don't let any media or any advertising that is bias that is going to tell you that this is going to take away your own private health insurance, that it is going to be second class or third class. The American people know what they want. They understand that the public option will have to be competitive. Be reminded in 1965, prior to that we did not have Medicare, and we saw the mortality rates, the passing away of Americans at a younger age over and over again. If you take the statistics of what age you passed that before 1965 because of poor medical care, you see the distinctive difference in today where we have centenarians, those who are living past 100 years, those who are in their 80s, and might I say they are living well because they have Medicare. The American people understand that. But as I close, I think it is important to note that when we look to our friends who are on the other side of the aisle or trying to oppose working together in a collaborative way, it says the organizational chart of the House Republican health plan, and it's very colorful, but it is full of questions because we don't know what the plan is. We do have to make sacrifices. We have to make sacrifices to work together on preserving physician-owned hospitals. It's not just St. Joseph Charity Hospital in Houston, Texas, in the inner-city with 1,800 full-time jobs that adds to the economy, paying millions of dollars in taxes, providing $40 million of uncompensated care each year. It says Sisters of Charity, $40 million in uncompensated care. That means that's what they give to the indigent. This is a chart that says nothing will happen. I believe it is important for the efforts to be made in collaboration with the Congressional Black Caucus, which really was out front on this question of inequities in health care, the disparities in health care. We have a decade-long history on working on disparities in health care, and it is economic disparities as well. It means people who have less means are not getting access to good, quality health care. I don't know what the answer is with this plan. It's all questions. I don't know what the answer is to preexisting disease. I don't know what the answer is to home health care. I don't know what the answer is to providing a huge segment of preventative care or producing more primary care doctors or nurse practitioners. I don't know what the answer is here. But we in the Congressional Black Caucus want to make sure that we move this legislation forward, that we have an opportunity to make people whole, and that we look on the fact that any State that is looked upon such as Texas as not being vulnerable to unemployment, that we are supposed to be the shining example of not having problems, then you can imagine what is happening across America. People are unemployed. We know that we are going down in the economy before we go up. The stimulus is going to work, but we must have a public option plan that America wants, and we must have it now. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Ohio for allowing me to participate and to be able to emphasize the importance of moving forward on this health care reform with viable changes that will make it better for all Americans and particularly to thank the Congressional Black Caucus for starting out 10 years ago on this question of disparities, this question of access to health care, and this question of recognizing the need for 47 million uninsured Americans to cease and desist. And might I say the American people are wise because they know if we do not do it today, it will be 47 million, 57 million, 67 million, maybe upwards of 100 million who will not be insured and not have the ability to take advantage of good health. That is what this Special Order is about. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, although I voted for all amendments and for the motion to recommit, because of responsibilities in commemorating Apollo 11 in Houston, I missed the final vote on H.R. 3293, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, the appropriations bill, on Friday, July 24, 2009. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. On July 25, the Sunday Chronicle read: Houston fair draws more than expected despite the stifling heat. Thousands sweat out the chance to get Federal jobs. Houston fair draws more than expected despite the stifling heat. A Federal jobs fair that was held by my office in Houston on this past Saturday, July 25, shows that Texas is vulnerable to the unemployment numbers, and it also shows why the stimulus dollars do count. Houstonians and Texans and Americans want to work. These stimulus dollars are beginning to impact our communities, even those who are viewed as not being vulnerable to this high unemployment. We realize that we have to face this while we rebuild our economic structure. That is what we are trying to do with the passage of health care reform and in providing more jobs for our constituents. I will have another Federal jobs fair in collaboration with many of my friends--with the private sector, with community colleges, and with others--to ensure that Americans know that their tax dollars are working for them. We want Federal jobs to be known and to be available throughout America beyond the beltway, and we'll be working with our government, with our administration and with our Department of Labor to let Americans know there are jobs there for them that their tax dollars are paying for. In essence, we need you to work for the United States Government, and jobs are there for you. Houston, we will be back again for a second U.S. Federal jobs fair.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, forty years ago today, millions of Americans and other people around the world, sat tuned in to the most advanced media device of the day, the television. Millions more, gathered around radios. While still others simply raised their heads and fixed their eyes to a common sight--the moon. Yet, on this day, 40 years ago, the moon was markedly different. For on that day, mankind, represented by a young 38-year-old American, Neil Armstrong, set foot on the moon. On this day, 40 years ago, the country and the world were divided along many fronts. This country was reeling following a spate of high profile assassinations that took the lives of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy. The world was divided by ideology, separated into blocs of countries aligned with the Soviet Union and those aligned with the west. Finally, this country was in the midst of a bitter conflict in Vietnam that robbed this country of the lives of thousands of young men and women. Yet, despite these divisions, the nation and the world was united, united in the celebration of an achievement for mankind. And while the world had not yet seen the internet, the I-phone, or Twitter, we were all connected, connected by a single feat. Today, forty years later, while there are still some sources of division, the world stands today connected in a variety of ways. The step onto the surface of the moon left more than a mere foot print in the moon sand, it created a technological movement that has resulted in many of the devices that define our life today. This feat happened because of the combined determination and diligence of an entire country. From the inspiration of a young President who challenged us to set our sights on the moon, scientists developed new materials, engineers manufactured innovative equipment, and factory workers assembled cutting edge transport crafts. Together, these Americans proved that by working together, toward a common purpose, there is nothing beyond our reach. It was true then, I have no doubt that that fact will remain true today. President Obama has convened a commission to chart our next steps into space. The President is confronted with several choices. With soaring deficits facing our states and the looming costs of health care reform and energy reform before the nation, some may argue that we cannot afford such a risk. Yet others realize the gains of that small step. Gains that created new innovations in agriculture, architecture, and even health care. The pacemaker is just one of the many life saving technologies that has resulted from that same small step. Mr. Speaker, I urge President Obama to follow the lead of that young visionary President that preceded him 40 years ago. I urge him not to shy away from continuing the investment made by the past generation of Americans. I encourage the President to move ahead and continue the nation's investment in space exploration. I am confident that the President will move forward. He's already shown his vision by recently appointing Marine Corps Major General Charles F. Bolden, Jr. as NASA Administrator. General Bolden graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968, nearly 20 years after the first Black to graduate from that institution, Wesley Brown. Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, General Bolden accepted a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. General Bolden was in flight school, when former Navy aviator, Neil Armstrong, landed on the moon. This feat kept General Bolden motivated and after two years of flight training, he was designated a naval aviator in May 1970. He flew more than 100 sorties into North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, in the A-6A Intruder between June 1972 and June 1973. Upon returning to the United States, General Bolden began a two-year tour as a Marine Corps selection officer and recruiting officer in Los Angeles, followed by three years at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. During his free time, General Bolden returned to school to earn a Masters degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California in 1977. In June 1979, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, and subsequently served as an ordnance test pilot and flew numerous test projects in the A-6E, EA-6B, and A-7C/E airplanes. As a pilot, he has logged more than 6,000 hours flying time. General Bolden was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1980, and became an astronaut in August 1981. A veteran of four space flights, he has logged more than 680 hours in space, including 444 orbits of the earth. General Bolden served as pilot on STS-61C (Space Shuttle Columbia, January 12-18, 1986) and STS-31 (Space Shuttle Discovery, April 24-29, 1990), and was the mission commander on STS-45 (Space Shuttle Atlantis, March 24, 1992--April 2, 1992), and STS-60 (Space Shuttle Discovery, February 3-11, 1994). During his first Discovery mission, General Bolden and his colleagues successfully deployed the Hubble Space Telescope while orbiting the earth from a record setting altitude of 400 miles. The second Discovery mission was the historic first joint U.S./Russian Space Shuttle mission with a Russian Cosmonaut as a crew member. General Bolden also held two administrative posts at NASA during these years. Following the Challenger accident in 1986, he was named the chief of the safety division at the Johnson Space Center, overseeing safety initiatives in the return-to-flight effort. From April 1992 to June 1993, General Bolden served as Assistant Deputy Administrator for NASA. In 1994, General Bolden returned to active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps as the Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. In July 1997, he was assigned as the Deputy Commanding General, I MEF, Marine Forces, Pacific. From February to June 1998, he served as Commanding General, I MEF (FWD) in support of Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait. In July 1998 he was promoted to his final rank of Major General and assumed his duties as the Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces, Japan. General Bolden then served as the Commanding General, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, serving from August 9, 2000 until August 2002. He retired in August 2004. Following retirement, General Bolden became active in the corporate sector. Since 2004, he has been the owner and CEO of Jack and Panther LLC, a privately-held military and aerospace consulting firm in my district of Houston, Texas. Having recently been confirmed by the Senate and assumed his post, General Bolden is the first Astronaut to lead NASA. As an Astronaut, General Bolden understands NASA's mission, its operations, and its most valuable resource, its personnel. With a background of achieving in the face of obstacles, General Bolden is well positioned to help NASA define its role in the midst of our nation's fiscal crisis. Moreover, General Bolden in his new role as NASA Administrator has the potential of inspiring a new generation of young people, much like I and many others were inspired by Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins forty years ago. I urge support for this resolution.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking Congressman Bart Stupak, for introducing this legislation. Every year on July 1st, I look forward to officially celebrating the establishment of Canada and all of its wonderful accomplishments. Canada has proven to be one of our nation's most trusted allies and as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I personally work closely with Canadian officials to ensure the 5,500-mile border that we share remains secure. In this era of heightened security, the United States and Canada have renewed cooperative efforts to safeguard the movement of people and goods, improve information-sharing, and strengthen border infrastructure and technology across the border. In a world in which too many nations still choose conflict over cooperation, and erect barriers instead of bridges, the U.S.-Canadian partnership has been and must ever be a model for others, and the foundation on which to build a common future. Indeed, our relationship is centered on a shared continent, shared values, shared aspirations, and real respect for our differences. Over the years, our nations have forged the most comprehensive ties of any two nations on Earth. They bind not only our governments, but also our economies, our cultures, and our people. From NORAD to NAFTA, Canadians and Americans have seized opportunities to provide for our common security and prosperity. We've tackled tough problems from acid rain and water pollution to differences over beer and grain in the spirit of friendship and in pragmatism. Addressing the Canadian parliament 50 years ago, President Truman declared that the success of the U.S.-Canadian relationship was due to ``one part proximity, and nine parts goodwill and common sense.'' Goodwill and common sense remain the foundation of our friendship. In Texas, the territory of the Consulate General in Dallas and the Canadian Consulate in Houston encompasses five states with over 36 million people. Bilateral trade with the region is over $30 billion each year; therefore I am very aware of how important a strong trade relationship is for both countries. Specifically the cities of Alberta and Houston share a number of distinguishing features which make them sister cities. Over the past 10 years Alberta has had the strongest economy in Canada, with an average rate of growth of 3.7 per cent per year, while Houston continues to thrive as the energy capital of the United States. Canada is the U.S.'s most important trading partner, with over $570 billion dollars in goods and services being traded between the two countries in 2006. Canada and the U.S. enjoy an interdependent energy relationship, trading oil, natural gas, coal, and electricity. Canada has a reported 178.8 billion barrels of oil reserves as of 2006, second only to Saudi Arabia. Over 95% of these reserves are in oil sands deposits in Alberta. Moreover, Canadian oil sands in Alberta have made Canada the largest exporter of oil to the U.S. and has helped alleviate our dependence on foreign sources of oil from parts of the world which geopolitically face much more risk than our neighbor to the North. Recent proposals by Canadian companies such as Enbridge and Altex to build oil pipelines from Alberta to Houston seem very promising, and I look forward to the progress they make. These 2,000-mile pipelines, which are targeted to be in service by 2010, will send over 500,000 barrels of oil per day. I would like to congratulate Canada on its many accomplishments over the years and remain appreciative to the people and Government of Canada for their long history of friendship and cooperation with the people and Government of the United States.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking Congresswoman Janice Schakowsky for introducing this legislation. It is with great pride that I encourage the International Olympic Committee to select the fine city of Chicago, Illinois, as the host city for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Since World War II, at least eighty-one athletes who were either born in Texas or lived in the state at the time of their competition, have won Olympic gold medals. From Michael Johnson to Tara Lipinski, from Nastia Liukin to Sheryl Swoopes, the list is filled with the world's best athletes. These great athletes represent eleven different sports, with track and field, the premier Olympic sport, having the largest number. Therefore, I know the value that the Olympic spirit can have on the citizens of a city and country, and I fully support Chicago in their efforts to bring this worldwide event to their city. Chicago, Illinois, advocates the ideals of the Olympic movement and governments from across the United States, including Houston, are joining together to show their support for bringing the Olympic Games to Chicago, Illinois, in 2016. The Olympic movement has built a more peaceful and better world by educating young people through amateur athletics, by bringing together athletes from many countries in friendly competition, and by forging new relationships bound by friendship, solidarity, and fair play. June 23rd, Olympic Day, is a unique, global event held every year. National Olympic Committees (NOCs) around the world share this universal festivity with their respective communities, making it the most celebrated Olympic event after the Olympic Games. On June 23, 2009, Houston celebrated Olympic Day with a special event featuring former Olympian Leigh Barczewski at the NFL Youth Education Town #2 at James Driver Park Boys and Girls Club facility. Leigh presented on one of the 4 Olympic values, Respect, as well as shared with the children his experience as an Olympic cyclist in the 1976 games. Olympic Day has greatly impacted the youth of the world and is teaching them important lessons that they will use for a lifetime. In a world where many nations are still choosing conflict over cooperation, Olympic Day is a venue through which countries all over the world are exhibiting the Olympic values and choosing friendship and respect over conflict and discord. I would like to congratulate the city of Chicago on its many accomplishments over the years and hope that they will be awarded the great honor of hosting the 2016 Olympics.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking Congressman John Shimkus, for introducing this legislation. I would like to congratulate the people of the Republic of Lithuania on the 1000th anniversary of Lithuania. Lithuania, a full and responsible member of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, has proved resilient in overcoming many obstacles and has achieved many great accomplishments: Lithuania founded Vilnius University in 1579; in 1990, the Republic of Lithuania was restored and Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare independence; in 1918, Act of Independence of Lithuania led to the establishment of Lithuania as a sovereign and democratic state; in 2007, the United States Government and the Government of Lithuania celebrated 85 years of continuous diplomatic relations. I commend Lithuania for successfully developing into a free and democratic country, with a free market economy and respect for and adherence to a rule of law. The U.S. welcomes and appreciates efforts by the Government of Lithuania to maintain international peace and stability in Europe and around the world by contributing to international civilian and military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Georgia. Since 2005, Lithuania has been leading a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) of Ghor Province in Afghanistan. They have worked to help Afghanistan become a secure, democratic and self-sufficient state. Lithuania has been dedicated to the success of the UN-mandated ISAF operation and to working with the international community in Afghanistan motivates our involvement. The vast Lithuanian community in the United States has preserved its spiritual, cultural and family ties with their historical motherland during the long years of living overseas, which translated into active cultural and business cooperation between Lithuania and the United States. The activities of Lithuanian Americans have greatly contributed to the restoration of Lithuania's independence and to the membership of Lithuania in NATO. Today their active participation greatly adds to the promotion of Lithuania's foreign policy goals and the strengthening of cooperation between Lithuania and the U.S. As a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I recognize firsthand the importance of Lithuania's global foreign policy efforts, and they are to be commended. The Lithuanian American Community, Inc., (LAC) is the network that keeps Lithuanians connected in the U.S. They have 60 chapters in 27 states and the District of Columbia. The Houston, Texas chapter is an active and vibrant group, and they remain engaged in the community and strive to educate their fellow Houstonians on the rich culture of Lithuania. Lithuanian American community maintains regular contacts with the Lithuanian Embassy and other Lithuanian Government institutions. Lithuania is a strong and loyal ally of the United States, and the people of Lithuania share common values with the people of the United States. I would like to congratulate Lithuania on its many accomplishments over the years and remain appreciative and grateful for their long history of friendship and cooperation with the people and Government of the United States.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Because this bill does have the right priorities for HBCUs and Ryan White treatment dollars and teen pregnancy, I support this legislation and the priorities of this committee. Mr. Chair, I stand here today to express my support for H.R. 3293 the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriation Act of 2010. With an emphasis on job training, increased educational opportunities and the implementation of health and social safety nets, H.R. 3293 ensures that we will be able to effectively rise up out of the ashes of what has been categorized as the longest and deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression. The national economic crisis has begun to infiltrate every corner of this country, and my home State of Texas is no exception. In Texas, unemployment has climbed to a staggering 7.6 percent, and in my own district of Houston, unemployment has risen to an unprecedented 6.4 percent. In January 2009, it was documented that Texas experienced an extensive job loss of 75,800 nonagricultural jobs. Accordingly, I am taking every possible measure to help the people of Houston, right down to hosting a comprehensive job fair for the people of my district this coming weekend. While States across the country reduce vital services, including those services that provide aid to the most vulnerable among us, we must make every legislative effort to remedy the negative and wide sweeping impact of this most devastating recession. To tackle unemployment, joblessness and disparity, we must address the roots of the problem head-on. We need to invest our resources in the people of this country, and H.R. 3293 provides much needed assistance to do just that. The FY 2010 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Bill is legislation that makes the necessary investments in our Nation's greatest treasure, our future. Increasing Funding for Education Increasing educational opportunities for students of every level, from every socio-economic background throughout our Nation will yield the greatest return on our investment. Providing access to educational opportunities is critical to the Nation's long term prosperity. H.R. 3293 will make the necessary investments to provide children with a 21st century education, will provide the resources to modernize our schools and colleges, and will provide funding to make college more affordable. Just as I supported past legislation like H.R. 3081, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which placed a premium on providing funding for and lending institutional support to our Historical Black Colleges and Universities, HBCUs, and Predominantly Black Institutions, PBIs, H.R. 3293 also provides a comprehensive fiscal plan for 2010 to ensure that adequate funding is allocated to our HBCUs and PBIs. HBCUs and PBIs as defined in the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, HEA, as the following: A historically Black college or university is an institution of higher education established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation. Historically Black colleges or universities also include any branch campus of a southern institution of higher education that prior to September 30, 1986, received a grant as an institution with special needs under HEA Section 321 and was formally recognized by the National Center for Education Statistics as a Historically Black College or University. Predominantly Black Institutions are defined in HEA Section 318. These institutions meet basic eligibility under Title III, Section 312(b) and serve at least 40 percent Black American students. Basic eligibility under Title III, Section 312(b) of the HEA is met by institutions that: have low educational and general expenditures, E&G, or seek a waiver by submitting evidence that is both persuasive and compelling to have this requirement waived; have a requisite enrollment of needy students; are legally authorized within their respective State to award bachelors degrees or are a community college; and are accredited by a nationally or State recognized accrediting agency. An institution is considered to have met the enrollment of needy students criterion if (1) at least 50 percent of its degree-seeking students receive financial assistance under one or more of the following programs: Federal Pell Grant Program, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program, Federal Work-Study Program and/ or the Federal Perkins Loan Program or (2) the percentage of its undergraduate degree-seeking students who were enrolled at least halftime and received a Federal Pell grant met or exceeded the average for similar institutions. We must invest in our Nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities, HBCUs, and other Minority Serving Institutions. A digital disparity between HBCU campuses and their counterparts currently exists. There is a significant need among HBCUs to update technological equipment and to develop advanced and cutting edge educational and technological opportunities for students. In the face of the adversity that outdated technology poses, HBCUs continue to generate thousands of African-American graduates who are prepared to compete in and contribute to our global economy. HBCUs represent 9 of the top 10 colleges that graduate the most African-Americans who go on to earn Ph.D.s. HBCUs and PBIs continue to provide opportunity and advancement to African-American students, and therefore are worthy of federal support. Accordingly, this bill provides $653 million to strengthen the capacity of HBCUs and PBIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities and Native American-serving Institutions, Asian Pacific Islander, and Native American Institutions. This is $110 million over the President's request and $146 million over 2009. Additionally, H.R. 3293 provides for $178 million new loan guarantees for HBCUs and University facilities, which is nearly triple that of the 2009 level. As a Representative from the 18th Congressional District of Texas, I know firsthand that this will enable HBCUs like Texas Southern University in my district and Prairie View A&M University just outside of my district to thrive. H.R. 3293 also provides an investment of $15.9 billion for Title I Education for the Disadvantaged Children Account, which will provide much needed support to underprivileged children in grades K through 12, and will give hope to the low income families in my district in Houston, that their children will receive quality education. This funding also places an emphasis on early childhood and family literacy programs. Furthermore, the bill provides $446 million for a Teacher Incentive Fund, which supports school districts and States that aim to reward effective teaching through compensation systems that reward entire high-need schools on the basis of increasing student achievement. Green Jobs Finally, this bill provides the necessary funding for increased employment opportunities and job training. H.R. 3293 appropriates $50 million, the same as the President's request, to prepare workers for careers in energy efficiency and renewable energy. This new administration initiative will support pre-apprenticeship programs and new careers for more than 8,000 workers in emerging green industries. In the tradition of our new administration, this Congress understands the energy concerns of the American people and we continue to work to ensure this Nation moves in a new direction to achieve energy independence and energy security. I have long been a proponent of green education. For example, during the 110th Congress, I successfully offered amendments to the Comprehensive Energy Independence bill that was introduced late last year and voted out of the House. Specifically, I have offered past amendments that would provide scholarships for post-secondary study in ethanol, wind, solar energy, and other green alternatives to petroleum. I have also offered an amendment to establish Energy Centers of Excellence, which would provide a consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, HBCUs, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal universities, and majority serving institutions to develop curriculum and programs in green energy. Moreover, my amendments provided scholarships, and academic opportunities for minorities to study green energy. Thus, I have long been a proponent of the type of education and job provisions that this bill requires. Indeed, I count myself as one on the forefront of this cause. As a representative of the 18th Congressional District of Texas, which includes the energy capital of the world, Houston, I am especially pleased to support this bill. This bill fosters education and increased job opportunity in green energy, which increasingly is becoming a viable alternative to petroleum. Today, we as a global community must take the time out to appreciate the natural resources our planet has provided. It is also a day where we must better examine energy alternatives to carry forth the advancement of mankind and the preservation of the world at large. I have long been a proponent of green jobs, as evidenced in my support of H.R. 957, the Green Energy Education Act of 2009, which provided an opportunity to learn about the positive actions that we as a Nation can take to improve energy efficiency; to develop safe, renewable energy sources; to design goods that are durable, reusable, and recyclable; and to eliminate the production of harmful waste, while protecting our environment and encouraging sustainable development throughout the world. H.R. 957 empowered leading authorities to teach and conduct the necessary research on energy consumption throughout our Nation. The research and studies are highly detailed, and carefully constructed to be statistically representative of the entire population, and are indicative of the indispensable analysis and policy planning required to execute a comprehensive green initiative. By providing the necessary funding to implement green research programs and new green job opportunities, policy planners will be in a position to better identify the highest-value energy efficient methods to decrease our dependency on foreign fuel. Along with rising gas prices, weak economic growth, continued environmental warnings and scientific studies pointing to global warming, many Americans continue to worry about the state of energy security in the world. Adding green space in urban areas, investing in alternative energy, and ensuring our participation in the conservation of our planet's resources are just some ways that we can preserve our wonderful planet, and plan for our future. We now turn to our Federal Government to provide us with the resources to do so. I urge my colleagues today to pass this critical piece of legislation, as our Nation's long-term prosperity hangs in the balance.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, tonight, I come before you representing Texas' 18th Congressional District in Houston. As some of you know, my hometown of Houston is the 4th largest in the country. Houston is home to some of the nation's largest oil companies: Citgo North America, Conoco Phillips-North America, El Paso Corp., Halliburton, Kinder Morgan Energy, Marathon Oil Company, and Shell U.S. Oil Division. Yet as the economy has declined and the nation has begun to shift towards greener fuels, the petroleum business in my District and throughout Texas has also seen a decline. Today, my state of Texas is facing an unemployment rate of around 7.5%, the highest it has been since in the past 16 years. Additionally, Texas lost 40,600 jobs last month alone. Thus, the six figure jobs common to Houston that have attracted people to my District from all over the country are being slashed. And as my constituents, many of them well-to-do middle income and upper income Americans, have lost their jobs and their businesses, they have also lost their health care. Truly, Madam Speaker, this issue of health care is not a poor people's problem it is an American problem. And thus, I rise today with my fellow members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to urge all of my colleagues to get behind this health care bill and pass it before we leave for the August recess next week. Today, while I stand as a representative of Houston, I believe I represent hard working men and women, young and old who can't wait till after recess for health care. They risk bankruptcy and even the poor house because of the rising costs of health insurance. Some of them have cancer, some of them have diabetes, and some of them have simple tooth decay that requires a root canal. However, root canals are not covered by most basic health insurance plans. As such, some of them are now finding that their teeth have become infected and the infection has entered their blood stream and some of them now face terminal illness--all because they lack the health care that many of us in this body take for granted. Madam Speaker, my colleagues on the Republicans side have partnered with some insurance companies to misrepresent the facts about health care and are now using scare tactics to prevent the health care bill from being voted out of the Energy and Commerce Committee. These forces have pressured conservatives in the Democratic ranks to stall the process. The other side holds up the process of change while over 47 million Americans remain uninsured, while Americans with health care pay as much as $207 billion excess in health related taxes, and while hospitals and clinics around the country continue to shutter their doors. A brighter future is on the horizon with the health care bill now stalled in committee. Central to this bill is its public insurance option, which as the President said, is designed to keep the large insurance companies honest. And as my friend Michael Moore documented in his acclaimed film ``Sicko'' we cannot always trust our insurance companies. The Public Option, similar to Medicare, will provide a publicly driven health care system, unique to the U.S. and separate from what is in place in any other country. The program will ensure: (1) Early and periodic screening, diagnosis and treatment; (2) Case management for chronic diseases; (3) Dental and mental health services; (4) and even language access services. Though this health care plan solves many of our nation's health care woes, there are still more improvements that are needed. And I believe that the Democratic leadership is open to good ideas to improve this legislation, improvements from the Progressive Caucus, from the Blue Dogs, from the New Dems, and even from the Republicans. One of the ideas that I hope to work with Chairman Rangel, Health Subcommittee Chair Stark, Chairman Waxman and our leaders to address are ways to allow for the spread of good serving physician owned hospitals, many of which are caring for those with little to no insurance who would otherwise go underserved populations. And just what is a physician owned hospital . . . as its name implies, it's a hospital that has been started by, purchased by, or in some cases invested in by physicians. While some fear that such hospitals will allow physicians to skim off high end treatment and ignore routine procedures, I believe these concerns focus on only the few bad apples and not the lot of physicians who believe in their oath not to harm and to place people over profit. So where do we stand today with physician owned hospitals. Under the current version of the health reform bill, 104 physician owned hospitals under development, 42 of which are scheduled to come on line by the end of 2010, will have to shut down. These 104 hospitals at risk represent more than 20,000 new jobs which will be lost in 21 states, over 40 in my home state of Texas. At least $5 billion in current investments will be lost. It will also affect hospitals that were built to serve working men and women with little or no insurance. I and other Democrats and Republicans urge the leadership to change the bill by eliminating the retroactive date in the bill and ``grandfather'' all the existing hospitals with physician ownership, including the 104 hospitals under development. In addition to threatening physician owned hospitals under development, the current bill also limits growth of existing physician owned hospitals. Of the 223 physician hospitals now in operation in 32 states, only three would qualify to apply to the Secretary of HHS for permission to expand. The remainder of the hospitals would have future growth frozen and would likely close because they could no longer be responsive to the medical needs of patients, the community and physicians. My solution is to eliminate the conditions for growth in section 1156 and the HHS application process, and allow ``grandfathered'' physician owned hospitals, including projects under development that qualify for the grandfather provision, to expand and respond to the expanded needs of the communities they serve. Finally, the current bill repeals the whole hospital exception in the Stark law, thus prohibiting physicians from investing in new hospitals that were not grandfathered. This provision aims to discourage entrepreneurship and risk taking in health care. However, I believe that there are doctors who can do good and do well at the same time. As such, I urge the leadership to amend the exception to allow physicians to invest in acute general care hospitals, hospitals that serve a significant population of the uninsured, or hospitals on the verge of bankruptcy where physicians are the only interested investors. Such was the case for St. Josephs Medical Center in my district. St. Joseph Medical Center is the first and only hospital in Downtown Houston--a metropolitan area that has grown to over 4 million. In August 2006, over 80 medical staff members out of the 500 on staff, elected to purchase a stake in the hospital to keep it from closing. Because of this partnership, St. Joseph Medical Center remains today as a viable institution, caring for hundreds of thousands of patients each year through the various services of this general, acute care, inner- city hospital. Nearly 5,000 new Houstonians are born annually at this hospital--the first maternity hospital in Houston. St. Josephs remains the only hospital in Downtown Houston, and without it hundreds of thousands of individuals each year would not have a convenient place to go for their inpatient and outpatient care. With two medical towers adjacent to the campus, physicians' offices are close by, making this a one-stop shop for many who come downtown for their healthcare. Bus lines, rail lines, and two major freeways run right past the hospital, making it even more convenient for the populations that surround it--many of whom have limited or no transportation options. This model of physician partnership works and in addition, adds 1,800 full time jobs to the Houston economy, pays millions in taxes and provides 40 million dollars of uncompensated care each year, and continues the traditions of the Sisters of Charity--to provide quality healthcare for all. This model saves hospitals in underserved areas and is part of the solution to the health care system problems, not the cause of them. Only to serve as ``buyers of last resort'' in communities that have a critical access problem and are otherwise providing good care to patients across the country. Thus, I look forward to working with the leadership to reward, not punish, such physician owned hospitals. Other good proposals that I'm recommending are: Grants to high schools and middle schools to increase health care professionals, particularly those in underserved communities; Providing incentives for the development of Community Health Care Centers that are housed in healthy green buildings; Tax credits for employers who not only offer good health care benefits but encourage their employees to utilize these benefits; A pilot program to study and demonstrate the benefits of proven alternative medical techniques and medicines; and A program to study this ongoing problem of people who seek to address depression or enhance athletic performance by abusing prescription drugs. Madam Speaker, I believe that these are good proposals and if adopted will improve the outstanding work done by our leaders. Furthermore, while I seek changes in the health reform bill, I'm not at all about to stand in the way of change, my goal is to inspire change. Moreover, I'm not going to succumb to scare tactics aimed to put politics over people, people who deserve health reform now, not next week, next month, or next year.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I think the real truth is that Americans want real health care reform. They understand that families are paying $1,800 a year for the uninsured, $1,200 if you're a single individual, costs that will continue to grow without health care reform. Fourteen thousand Americans lose their health care every day. All of the issues that my friends on the other side talk about they know are workable issues. The bottom line is access to health care. In Texas, our effort and intent is to embrace and work with physician-owned and specialty hospitals. We want to make sure that they are protected in this health care reform. Why? Because they provide services to Americans and Texans that others cannot provide. We want to ensure that there is access to health care all over, but we also don't want to have smoke and mirrors. My friends on the other side should get at the table of negotiation, make sure our specialty and physician-owned hospitals are protected and allowed to grow if they are in the process of building, not use the arbitrary deadline; but, yes, we should face the question, save Americans $1,800 a year, $1,200 for an individual, stop the bleeding, stop the 14,000 that are losing their health care.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the chairman very much and the ranking member. I rise to support the rule that has already passed and the underlying bill. Mr. Chairman, this is a very important step forward for the infrastructure of America, covering transportation and housing, and housing is part of infrastructure. It creates a holistic neighborhood. I want to thank the committee for the Federal Transit Administration $10.48 billion, which will impact the growing metro system as a New Start. I am hoping as we move forward and metro in Houston is defined as a New Start, we will also be able to use and continue to use those stimulus dollars because we are in the process of creating jobs as we speak. I believe it is very important to support the high-speed, inner city passenger rail grants. We in Texas are working very much on high speed and believe that that is part of the transportation system of tomorrow. I am also grateful for the airport modernization, safety and efficiency grant of $3.5 billion representing Houston Intercontinental Airport, one of the largest airports in the Nation, modernizing air traffic control. Just recently, we met with our air traffic controllers, and I would hope as we make our way through this particular legislation we'll also focus on encouraging the FAA to be able to work on the negotiations with the air traffic controllers for a better quality of life, better work conditions. I am grateful as well for the number of dollars being put in for vouchers for homeless veterans, $75 million for homeless veterans; 10,000 of those veterans will be served, $1.3 million for low-income housing. In addition, I'm delighted that we're working for more affordable housing. We in the City of Houston are in great need, and I've been working on affordable housing for a long time. I hope in the dollars that are going to our communities we also will be using them for what we call senior housing repair. In many of our cities, our housing stock is enormously old. It impacts our seniors, and they're in great need.